Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1887-07-23
A NcwIy-wedded Couple and Bats.

Entered at the Poso6ce al Alexandria, Virginia, as
! second-clGsS matter.
A NewIy-gVedded Couple and Bats.
young couple from Boston, Oh their
wedding tour, have been enjoying them
selves undisturbed in . boarding house on
west Thirty-ffth street, near Sixth avenue,
for the past week. The other night the
| honeymoon was darkened in ruthless and
singular way. At their usual hour for re-
firing the wife, by the aid of the electric
light on Thirty.ffth street, saw something
/ flying close TO the further window. Her
young husband pronounced it a bat. With
q suppressed scream the wife sprang into
bed and pulled the sheet over her head.
Then the husband went TO the window and
pulled the lace curtains carefully across to
! keep the bat out Meantime it flew in by
the other window. Very qnic&ly the young
husband seized pillow with the expressed
| intention of Staying the flying rodent. Ac-
cordlng 10 a subsequent statement OF his
| loving spouse, he struck at it l27 times and
missed it just that often. But he succeeded
! in chasing himself out Of breath, and, while
waiting TO recover, the bat flew out OF the
window Then he went TO bed and the
young wife uncovered her head. A peace
| ful silence reigned for five minutes. Then
| with the acuteness natural TO timid and
frightened mind the wife discovered q bat
/ slowly creeping on the outside of the further
| curtain. With another little scream she drew
! the sheet over her head while her husband
watched the bat in hopes thatitwOuld not get
in. Presently it found the lap and came
| into the room. Then its mate followed, and
the pair proceeded TO establish themselves
Oh the brass rod from which the curtains
| hang. "I'll soon settle them" said the hus-
! band While he was getting out and arm
ing himself with his pillow one of the bats
dropped from the rod, flew around the room
| twice and out of the window. BY that time
the husband was ready to attack the mate.
a moment sutficed to dislodge it. The ne
! cessity Of vanishing one before the other re-
turned impressed itself upon him. He was
quicker and not so careful as in his first
venture. And he was more successful, for
he frequently hit something, even though
he missed the bat The first blow was three
inches under it, and brought down porce-
lain vase. Then followed g long series Of
strikes, but finally he made good hit by
punching very large hole in what purport-
ed 10 be an oil painting of Rip Van Wrinkle.
| The next effective blow after many misses
drove the globe Of the gas fixture into the
looking glass over the bureau, wrecking
| both. Then the wife begged him to stop
and call for help. But he was deaf to her
entreaties, and, shutting his eyes, struck out
b,indly. He hit the bat then, and drove it
| forcbly against the wall, which was spatter-
ed with its blood. He sat down on the bed
and wiped the perspiration from his brow.
| a loud knock at the door and the sound of
many voices caused him to turn on the light,
casually survey the wreck, and open the
door. There he was confronted by all the
other boarders, the andIady and police
officer It took the young man twenty
minutes to explain the cause of the
noise, and then everybody wanted
TO see the bat But he wouldn't let
them in. The boarders grew indigr ant,
and one elderly lady denounced his sto.y as
o fabrication. She was sure he had struck
his young wife-perhaps murdered her, and
she insisted on an investigation. In utter
desperation, and as the only means of rid
ding himself of his visitors, he permitted the
landlady and the officer to enter, notwith-
standing his wife's protests. TIE officer
carefully examined the deceased, and sage
| ly pronounced IL q pat before ne tnreW III
out the window. But the landlady only
looked at the wrecked furniture ofthe room
and said :"Of course you expect to pay for
this destruction. We could not afford -
The young man headed her of with an af.
lirmative reply, and asked them both to
leave When they did so he turned out the
light and joined his trembling young wife
in bed There they discussed warmly the
outrage, and had Just decided on leaving
the next morning when the bat that had
flown out of the window returned to find its
mate Again the wife saw it first, and once
more covered her head with the sheet. The
young man drew heavy sigh and prepared
to take up his pillow. His wife begged him
not to do it, lest the other boarders should
think they were crazy. So he lay still, and
pretty soon the bat flew out of the window.
Il suppose if we had let them alone they
would have gone out just as that one did
them said the bridegroom. But the bride
was too nervous to sleep, and compelled her
lord and master to pack the trunks, which
kept them busy until morning. Then the
young man paid $3.50 damages, and the
couple went to Long Branch--M J. Sun.